To Make a Marriage by Carole Mortimer Page A

straining her ears trying to hear any further reaction from her father. The house remained silent with expectation. Unlike Andie, who was expecting, but certainly couldn’t remain silent. Especially if her father were now in the process of doing Adam some physical damage. After all, she had been there three months ago too…! ‘Do you think I should—?’
    â€˜No, I don’t,’ Audrey answered calmly, finally reaching forward to pick up her coffee-cup and sip at the now tepid liquid.
    â€˜But Rome might—’
    â€˜He won’t,’ Audrey assured her with certainty, looking serenely beautiful as she sat in one of the armchairs.
    Andie wished she had the older woman’s control! But she didn’t, standing up to pace agitatedly up and down theroom, glancing towards the doorway often, the two men ensconced in Rome’s study down the carpeted hallway.
    â€˜How can you be so sure?’ Andie finally burst out, the lack of any noise whatsoever coming from the direction of the study grating on her already frayed nerves. ‘I realise that your engagement, and the wedding next month, have calmed Daddy down a lot, but even so, he isn’t going to be pleased by what Adam’s telling him, is he?’ A frown marred her creamy brow.
    â€˜You might be surprised,’ Audrey came back dryly. ‘Oh, not by his reaction to your and Adam’s news,’ she added at Andie’s obvious surprise at the remark. ‘His reaction to that is anyone’s guess, I’m afraid. No, I was referring to Rome’s calmness.’ She shook her head. ‘He isn’t calm at all since I told him that I had lived here, and worked for him, for twelve years, without going to bed with him, and that now I intended to wait until our wedding night!’
    Andie gave a choked laugh, her own worries temporarily forgotten. ‘You told Rome that?’
    â€˜I certainly did.’ The older woman returned her smile.
    â€˜My assurance that anticipation is half the fun didn’t go down too well, either!’ she confided mischievously.
    â€˜I’m sure it didn’t.’ Andie laughed out loud now, easily able to imagine her father’s frustration with such a decision. Although he still looked a lot happier than Andie had seen him for years. At least, he had looked happier… Her smile faded, to be replaced by her previous frown. ‘But you must have some idea of what Rome’s going to say about—about—’ She still had trouble formulating the words herself. ‘I wanted to tell Daddy myself, but Adam insisted he had to be the one to do it,’ she went on, irritated beyond words at what she considered Adam’s chauvinist behaviour.
    In fact, what she had really wanted to happen was for Adam to return to England after their talk, while she stayedon in Majorca for another week. But Adam wouldn’t hear of it. They either both stayed in Majorca, or they both returned to England. And he had been absolutely adamant that he would be the one to talk to Rome.
    â€˜Quite right too.’ Audrey nodded. ‘It’s his responsibility, Andie,’ she added firmly before Andie could protest.
    â€˜Don’t be ridiculous, Audrey. I’m almost twenty-six years old; I knew exactly what I was doing when I made love with Adam.’
    Just once, she had promised herself at a point in their lovemaking when she had known she could have stopped it if she had wanted to. Just once, to be held in Adam’s arms, to be loved for herself, and not for her resemblance to her mother. Just once—and it was turning into a lifetime commitment for both of them!
    It was going to be no easy thing to be Adam’s wife, to know that she could only ever be second best. But any woman would have been second best after her mother, so why not let it be her? After all, she loved Adam, and maybe one day—one day, he might be able to love her a little in